IARA: County Commission of Public Records

What is the County Commission of Public Records?

The County Commission of Public Records (commonly known as the CCPR or CPR) exists in each of Indiana’s 92 counties, developed in accordance with IC 5-15-6-1, and provides guidance and support on records and information management to county/local government offices.

The CCPRs meet at minimum once a calendar year per IC 5-15-6-1-d, although IARA strongly encourages them to meet more often than that, ideally once a month, so that the offices they serve can dispose of their records in a timely and efficient manner.

CCPR duties include:

assigning the position of Secretary to either the county clerk or county recorder, depending on preference and mutual agreement.
accepting submitted documentation of already-completed disposition and noting records dispositions covered by a retention schedule in the Commission's official minutes. (SF44905)
accepting submitted requests for special disposition and/or disposition of records not covered by a records retention schedule and joining IARA in approving disposition of the records requests.(SF30505/SF57326)
accepting submitted requests for transfer of records and joining IARA in approving the transfer records requests.
discussing any other official government business or records and information management needs of the county.

Who are the Commission Members?

The Commission consists of seven ex officio members, and they serve without compensation and receive no disbursement for any expense.

Members consist of the judge of the circuit court, the county clerk (usually the Secretary), the president of the board of county commissioners, the county auditor, the county recorder (sometimes the Secretary), the superintendent of schools of the school district in which the county seat is located, and the city controller of the county seat city. If there is no city controller, the clerk-treasurer of the county seat city or town has that spot on the Commission.

What are the duties of the Chairperson and Secretary?

The Commission elects one of its members to be the Chairperson whose main responsibility is to run the meetings. In many counties, the judge of the circuit court is the Chairperson, but any member can be elected to the position. There is no time length requirement to be Chairperson, although traditionally they serve at least one calendar year.

The clerk of the court or the county recorder must be Secretary, and it is determined by preference or mutual agreement. If mutual agreement cannot be reached, an affirmative vote of a majority of the Commission members elects the position. Most Secretaries are also records custodians for their own offices, caring for, destroying and transferring their office's records. The Secretary is mainly responsible for receiving and processing records disposition notices, transfer requests, and other requests from the government offices. They manage the Commission meetings while the Chairperson runs them. There is no time length requirement to be Secretary, although traditionally they serve at least one calendar year.

What happens at a Commission meeting?

The Secretary compiles the submitted documentation of already-completed disposition and requests for special disposition or transfer. The Commission will note the already-completed disposition documentation in the minutes and then review and vote to approve any requests for special disposition or transfer. A copy of each request should be added to the official minutes. There may be additional discussion of any records and information management needs of the county. The time length of the Commission meetings will vary depending on the submitted requests and discussion topics. Some meetings last 5 minutes, others may take an hour.

How is a Commission meeting planned?

Before the meeting: The Secretary will assemble a list of county/local government units to inform along with county historical and/or genealogical societies who may have an interest in records that will otherwise be disposed of and may also simply wish to witness or contribute to the meeting.

The Secretary will post of a copy of the meeting agenda and announcement at least 48 hours prior to it at the principal office of the public office holding the meeting, on the website, and sometime prior at the entrance to the location of the meeting.

The county/local government units will send in documentation of already-completed disposition for the Secretary to compile at the meeting. They may also send in requests to approve disposition of records not covered by a records retention schedule and/or special disposition requests to be approved at the meeting.

During the meeting: The Secretary will include the accumulated already-completed disposition documentation in the official minutes. They can be read out verbally if the Commission wishes, but this is not required if a copy of the forms themselves are attached to the minutes. The Secretary takes/records the minutes and vote/discuss matters. The Commission will review each request to dispose of records not covered by a records retention schedule and/or special disposition submitted by each local government unit, vote to approve or deny those presented, then the Secretary and Chairperson will sign and date all actions taken on the requests. The Commission will discuss any other official business related to records and information management, determine the date of the next meeting, and adjourn.

After the meeting: The Secretary will notify the appropriate county/local government units of the final status of their requests and then send one copy of the official minutes which includes all approved disposition, special disposition, or transfer requests, the agenda of the meeting to IARA and maintain one copy permanently in the Secretary’s office according to record series # GEN 20-01.

Can I attend a Commission meeting?

Yes, anyone can attend a CCPR meeting because they are open to the public. IARA would recommend any county/local government unit that submitted a request to dispose of records not covered by a records retention schedule, special disposition, and transfer requests to attend the CCPR meeting in case there are questions from the Commission members. You can also attend if you’d like to stay informed on county/local government units and their records and information management needs.

What else do I need to know about the CCPRs?

If you serve or work for a county/local government unit, the CCPR is one of your partners in records and information management along with IARA. Please reach out to your CCPR Secretary, either the county clerk or county recorder, any of the Commission members, or IARA at cty@iara.in.gov, with questions or concerns related to records and information management.

Resources Pertaining to the CCPRs

Reach out to cty@iara.in.gov if you or your CCPR has additional resources that should be added to this webpage.